So This Is Love
by padmefan27
Summary: Three years before the Avengers was formed Tony Stark was left at the altar. What will happen when she comes back?
1. Prologue

**June 14, 2008- three years before the Avengers were formed- One year after Tony Stark became Iron Man**

Tony stood anxiously in front of the altar, Rhodey stood beside him with a reassuring smile. An instrumental of 'Once upon a December' was playing softly in the background.

"How do I look?" asked Tony in a hushed whisper.

"Almost as good as me," Rhodey joked. Tony gave him a sideways glare.

"Relax; you look amazing but not as amazing as she will."

"I'll try," Tony said taking a deep breath as the string quartet began to play 'Yellow' and the sound of the doors at the back of the church opened. A hushed murmur arose from the guests as he resisted the urge to turn around and look.

The words "Where is she?" caught his attention and he quickly turned around to see Pepper at the back of the church with a distraught look on her face. Fear filled him as he ran to the bride's room.

"Olivia!" he yelled opening the door. The room was empty beside a couch, vanity, an empty dress bag and a mess of beauty supplies. Tony walked in slowly. Something on the vanity caught his eye. A letter addressed to him, it read:

_Dear Tony,_

_Please know that I do love you more than anything else but I can't go through with this. With you being Iron Man it'd be too dangerous to even consider starting a family or living in peace. Please understand that I will never forget you and will always love you but I can't marry you. You will never see me again_

_Love always,_

_Olivia_

Tony let out a sob as he angrily pushed every bottle of perfume, hair product and make up pallet of the vanity. He sank down to the floor clutching the letter, tears rolling down his face. He'd told himself he'd find her and they'd talk about this, he couldn't lose her. He just couldn't.


	2. Chapter 1

**April 1, 2013- 4 years after Tony Stark was left at the altar - 1 since the Avengers was formed**

"I don't see the point of this," grumbled Tony to Steve.

"Pepper said it's for charity and it's also important for the Avengers to look after the year's past events," He replied taking a sip of champagne.

"I've written checks worth more than the cost of this event. I'm plenty charitable."

Hank sighed, " Yes but after selling arms for most most of your life that killed thousands of people you still have sins to make up."

Tony opened his mouth to retort but the solider had walked away.

"You never were one for charity banquets, Tony," said a silky voice from a few feet away.

"Olivia?" Tony asked in surprise, turning to face the woman. She didn't look that much different from the last time he'd seen her. Honey-gold hair tied into side bun, violet eyes staring at him, fair skin covered by a black sequined covered black dress.

"Hello Tony," she smiled, a hint of sadness on her pink lips.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I was invited just like you"

He leaned forward and grabbed her arm. "You know what I meant."

"Tony, let me explain."

"You did plenty of that in your letter? Why couldn't you say it to my face?" He yelled, several people had turned to look.

"Can we do this private?" she pleaded

"Fine. Outside on the balcony," he said dragging her outside where he released her.

"I loved you, Olivia. How could you just leave me at the altar?"

"I didn't want to but Tony-"

"But what? You got cold feet? You realized you only loved my money? You only-"

"Shut-up for a minute and listen, dammit!" She snapped at him, "I found out that I was pregnant and I knew that you never wanted children and I was scared that when you found out you'd leave me."

"Why would I ever leave you for something like that?" He asked trying not to yell.

"A week before the wedding I found out and that same night you came home and you just started to drink. I could tell that you'd gone through hell and all of a sudden you started ranting about how it should just be us and you never wanted to have kids and how much you hated children. I knew you were drunk but when I looked in the mirror before I was supposed to walk down the aisle I couldn't think that maybe you were telling the truth. " She had started to cry have way through.

"Did you go through with the pregnancy?" asked Tony earnestly. If she did he wanted to know. He needed to meet his child.

"I wanted to but I there was an accident and the baby was born prematurely. She died that night. " Her voice cracked as she broke down in sobs.

"I.. I'm sorry Olivia. I don't remember that at all and I would never have left you. If you had told me I would have been the happiest man alive," He said looking with tears in his own eyes. He could feel his heartbreaking. She left because of him and some stupid thing he said after drinking too much. If he took her back it would only happen again. Tony loved her too much to do that to her.

She whispered, looking at him lovingly, "I still love you and I regret leaving every day. You asked me why I was here and the truth is to ask you to find it in your heart to love me again. I want to start over with you."

Tony looked at her for a moment, he wanted to take her back, start where they left off, get married, have children, just like they planned years before but he couldn't. He could count on both hands the number of times the mansion had being attacked in the last year. He couldn't live with himself if she got hurt or killed.

He wiped away a few of her tears and lightly kissed her cheek.

"I love you and I still think about you everyday but I would hate myself if you got hurt," and with that he walked back inside to the banquet leaving her there.


	3. Chapter 2

Tony lay in bed. The red numbers on his clock flashed 3:45. It was the only light in the room beside his arc reactor. He would never tell a soul but his face was wet with tears. In one drunken fit he had destroyed his relationship with Olivia. Ironically there was whiskey bottle on his bedside that he emptied as soon as he got home.

"Jarvis?" he asked into the darkness.

"Yes Sir?" replied the AI.

"Play all the videos and images of Olivia and I," he requested, sitting up to see the tv on the opposite side of the wall. After he got back from captivity she had recorded his recovery. He hadn't watched the videos since the first few months after the wedding.

The room was lit up with a bright light as the first video began to play.

* * *

Olivia stood beside a luxury black car with Pepper at her left. They were at an airbase waiting for him to arrive of the recently arriving plane.

Olivia ran to him as he stood up out of the wheelchair. Her arms went straight around his neck while his free hand gripped her waist. They kissed.

"I thought I was never going to see you again," she cried into his suit.

"Me too, Olivia. Me too." They stood there for a few moments before walking to the car.

* * *

He smiled fondly as the video ended and the next one began. Later that night he remembered just lying in bed holding her till they both fell asleep.

* * *

"Careful up there," Tony warned. Olivia balanced precariously at the top ladder putting the last finishing touches on the Christmas Tree.

"What will you if I fall?" she asked, laughing.

"I'll catch you." He showed her the glove he was tweaking.

"You're going to catch me with the broken one?" she asked, stepping down the ladder.

"It's not broken. It's just not working as well as the other one."

"I feel so safe with you around," she said sarcastically. Olivia fell into his lap and kissed his cheek.

"Merry Christmas love."

Tony pecked her cheek.

"Merry Christmas to you too."

* * *

Tony felt more tears run down from his brown eyes. He proposed to her the next morning. The engagement ring was wrapped up like any other gift.

He was tempted to tell Jarvis to call her but it was too early and she'd know he was drunk. He instead leaned back and watched the videos on a loop till he feel asleep.


End file.
